Equipping Students For the Future

Education is a key factor for success. According to the recent surveys of private sector companies, students are not adequately prepared for the workforce both in terms of hard and soft skills.  The professors at the college entry level assume that the students are tech savvy, capable of multitasking, comfortable with using technology in classrooms however the students are easily distracted. The students need to be taught how to validate, synthesize and document information which are the basics to be taught in school before students graduate.  

Many educators tend to blame the students if they don’t learn well. Perhaps it is about time that we change the way we teach. In this day and age for learning to be meaningful, it has to be active and interactive. On June 30^th 2016 , World Economic Forum published the ten key skills people will need to enter the workforce by 2020 are –

Cognitive Flexibility

Negotiation

Service Orientation

Judgement and Decision Making

Emotional Intelligence

Coordinating with others

People Management

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Complex problem solving

The key challenges are how schools are going to develop the curriculum embedding the above mentioned skills ensuring the students are armed with right knowledge and appropriate skills. Above all how proficiently the teachers will be able to strategize their instructional design to meet the demands of the 21^st century?
https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/videos/10153567832406479/?pnref=story 

Future of Education

FUTURE OF EDUCATION

Traditional teachers are increasingly losing the education war because the teenage students are distracted by the social world. Of course the students don’t see it the same way. They never wanted the endless instruction on topics that are irrelevant to them. They desperately want to learn, but what they want to learn about is their social world- how it works, how they can secure a place in it that will maximize their social rewards and minimize their social pain. (Leiberman 2013:282)

Demographic dynamics and technology are set to revolutionize the workplace. Futurists predict that anything which is “routine” will be automated, virtualized or carried out by robots. Gerd Leonhard, a futurist and author says that “there is one key word that you would not want in future is routine. If your job is routine and it doesn’t matter if it’s cognitive or manual- it will be automated.” And if teachers are to succeed through this disruptive change they need to understand the wide gap which exists between the educational systems and the demands of the workforce.

It remains to be seen how educators on one hand adapt the technology within the classrooms and on the other how futurists are pondering on whether the advances in technology will create more jobs than they destroy. What futurist Leonhard predicts is that large scale job losses will definitely lead to major social and cultural changes. Could it be that with the technological advances in the next decade or so we do not have fixed work force?

If we were to draw an analogy of what the flexible work force would look like- a ‘Film Crew” is an ideal model which comes to mind, where a set of specialists are brought together for the duration of the project and then disbanded.

As educators we need to evaluate how are we evolving and revolutionizing teaching methods and curriculums to meet the demands of the future and curriculums constantly to keep our students engaged.

Follow this space for more on this topic.

SCHOOLS IN NEED OF NEW GENERATION TEACHERS

SCHOOLS IN NEED OF NEW GENERATION TEACHERS

“Today’s digital kids think of ICT as something akin to oxygen; they expect it, it’s what they breathe and it’s how they live.” —Learning in a Digital Age, John Seely Brown

The teachers deal with 21^st century learners who are the first generation literally born with the hand held smart devices, i-pads and laptops. These students do not marvel at technology, it is like a way of life for them; they accept it, adapt to it and use it effectively. This generation of learners comes into schools where the teachers are marveling at the technology boom and are not able to keep the pace with it. These teachers are struggling to keep the students engaged in the confinement of the classrooms.

They may resist learning about new technology. Some educators feel intimidated by students’ knowledge of tools they do not understand. Most of them work in environments where professional development is under emphasized and undervalued by their school leaders. Many teachers spend less than 8-10 hours of training each year, when so few hours are dedicated to training, most of the teachers do not experience a lot of improvement in their teaching. They need support and planning time. The number one reason teachers experience dissatisfaction with their jobs, causing them to either leave their profession or transfer to other schools, is lack of effective leadership, lack of professional development and lack of planning time.

The teaching learning requirements are evolving. Technology serves as an extraordinary tool to shape and enhance the learning environment. Along with equipment, digital literacy skills are absolutely necessary to ensure the technology is used to supplement high quality instructional methods. Great teachers using digital technology will be the most powerful educators in the 21st century. Technology requires teachers to play more of a facilitator role—rather than a more directive or authoritative one. This new role conflicts with traditional teaching methods and requires teachers to step back and allow learning to happen without their hands-on direction.

To effectively engage and teach 21^st century students, the curricula must be designed to promote a collaborative learner-centered environment to which students will relate and respond. As ICT is integrated into classrooms, and embedded in the instructional and assessment strategies educators must have continuous professional development to enhance their competencies and skills.

What is your leadership style?

Challenges of being a 21st Century School Leader... Promoting a collaborative and distributive leadership in school.

The field of EDUCATION has been experiencing sweeping changes since I was a regular student for 20 odd years of my life, to the time I became a new teacher full of bright ideas and colorful dreams for the a good part of my professional career, and even now being an administrator for over a decade.

Presently, as I pursue higher degree in teacher leadership it is increasingly evident that there is a need of a paradigm shift in the way the schools are being led. School leadership plays a vital role in setting the culture of the school right from what happens in the classrooms, to the staff lounges, in the meetings or in the board rooms.

It is imperative that teachers are encouraged and empowered to share the rich diversity of thoughts, opinions, ideas and experiences to bring in the best practices from which the students will benefit the most.

Not so long ago, I heard a person of authority mention that even though one may be knowledgeable, experienced and hardworking - that is not the only criteria which will take him forward. Additionally, one has to be political and shrewd to lead schools.

 

I was stumped when I heard this statement, after so many years of collaboration with and learning from people with whom I interact, I have become a firm believer that 21st century working environment in schools should be firmly based on the ethos of shared decision making, teacher empowerment, setting up collaborative environment and building supportive climate to nurture the diversity of learning styles and leadership among teaching faculty.

I invite you to reflect and share your thoughts on 

What is your leadership style?

Has it evolved over time?

Do you adopt different styles for different situations?

As a leader in your own right, your style at work has an impact on everything you do, from taking decisions at department level, planning instructional strategies, managing colleagues and staff to making strategic decisions. Hence with the changing scenarios in the school environment how important it is to update our skills as leaders in 21st century schools?